Campaign Kitty of Buck McKeon Holds Over $600,000

The retiring chairman of the House Armed Services Committee reported he has over $600,000 in his campaign account, and is still paying his wife a salary.

The campaign account of Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., who announced earlier this month that he will not seek re-election, reported it had receipts of $69,927 and disbursements of $87,379 for the fourth quarter, leaving $606,298 cash on hand as of December 31st.

During the fourth quarter, the committee paid Patricia McKeon $5,206 per month for payroll. Even if the committee had no more receipts, it could afford to pay her that salary for the one year remaining of her husband’s term, and years afterwards. A committee does not have to terminate when the member leaves Congress. Since 2001, the committee has paid her $271,946 for payroll and reimbursements.

The committee did report several expenditures, including a golf event at Parris Cascata Golf on Boulder City, Nevada, and a stay at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. There were only two charges at the hotel.

Another golf event was at Robert Trent Jones Golf in Gainesville, Virginia.

The account also paid for a ‘fundraiser” at Fenway Park in Boston, with a stay at the Residence Inns Fenway. The expenditures were dated October 17th, around the dates of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. There were only three charges at the hotel. Or the payments might have been for a future event, such as a World Series game.

Contributors to the committee included $17,850 from employees and the PAC of General Atomics, a defense-related firm. The PAC gave $5,000 and eleven executives gave $12,580, including $5,200 from CEO James Blue.

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Jan. 29, 2014
12:05 p.m.

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